RELIGIOUS PLURALISM AND THE HOSPITAL CHAPLAIN

Authors

  • Robert Mundle Toronto Rehabilitation Institute

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/hscc.v12i2.16

Keywords:

pluralism, communion, alterity, Panikkar, sacrament, prayer

Abstract

Following theologian Raimon Panikkar, I argue that healthcare chaplaincy is authentic in regard to religious pluralism only when it is dialogical. In examples of pastoral problems of sacramental ministry and prayer that challenge the aims of denominational and multi-faith chaplaincy, I show how professional healthcare chaplains may enter into communion with patients in authentic relationships while maintaining a sense of alterity necessary for dialogue and effective ministry. I explore also the role of embodied alterity in the creative tension of intrapersonal rela-tionships. In response to the theological challenge of religious pluralism, I conclude that by experiencing dialogical pluralism in the reflective practice of ministry, healthcare chaplains can offer unique insights to pastoral theology.

Author Biography

  • Robert Mundle, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute

    Robert Mundle is Chaplain at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute in Toronto, Canada, where his position is partially funded and defined by the Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto. He completed a residency in Clinical Pastoral Education at the Hospital of St. Raphael in New Haven, Connecticut, USA, and is professionally certified by the National (USA) Association of Catholic Chaplains. He holds graduate degrees in theology from Yale Divinity School and the University of St. Michael’s College in Toronto where he is currently pursuing doctoral studies in Theological Ethics.

References

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Published

2013-04-06

Issue

Vol. 12 No. 2 (2009): Scottish Journal of Healthcare Chaplaincy Vol 12 (2) 2009

Section

Articles

License

© Equinox Publishing Ltd.

For information regarding our Open Access policy, click here.

How to Cite

Mundle, R. (2013). RELIGIOUS PLURALISM AND THE HOSPITAL CHAPLAIN. Health and Social Care Chaplaincy, 12(2), 16-20. https://doi.org/10.1558/hscc.v12i2.16